The Information Structure Plane and Why its Existence is as Important as
Our Own

It could be objectly stated that humans have
excelled in their ability to devise means by which to pass on information.
Language, mathematics, music and visual arts are forms of expression that
are foremost in the human ability to contain and confer vital information,
both for and about our existence.

The human information base is what remains
of the totality of recorded expression after the passage of time.
There must have been a point at the beginning of recorded history when
the information base was much smaller. Oral tradition was then used
to pass on information. As structured language evolved, standards
were established and maintained. Scribes became able to record and
copy information in such a way that would benefit those who would come
after, so long as those who came after remained linked to the established
standards. Eventually, as the thread of human knowledge and experience
grew, the information base grew even larger.

The ability to preserve information for
future retrieval continues to be of singular importance. Incredible
developments continue to occur in the human effort to capture and pass
on information. Technological advancements are now providing the
oportunity for the preservation of a virtual sea of information.
There have been and continue to be vast improvements in the quality of
the information package. From carving symbols with steel chisels
into large stones we have evolved to grafting fine surfaces with the fine
beams of light. Vast amounts of data can be infinitely replicated
and linked to a resilient and hopefuly enduring interconnected structure.
Our objective unchanged from that of ancient teachers and recorders of
the human story, we are now embarking on a course that should take us to
a time and place where the information base behaves and resembles the processes
of biology themselves.

Media art and science are helping in building
the foundation for a structure that may one day rival those of the great
pyramids of Egypt. Without diminishing the value of more traditional
forms of art, new media art and science enhance the artist's toolbox, extend
the horizon of what is possible and pose some interesting challenges all
at the same time.